Bad Guys tells the story of two detectives who form a team with three criminals, all murderers, to catch other serious criminals. Can a gangster, a contract killer, and a serial killer work together with cops to finally do something good for a change?

Bad Guys is a very solid crime drama with plenty of action and intensity. It is more dark and gritty than other dramas which sets it apart. It has a truly wonderful cast with all of our main leads delivering wonderful performances.

Detective Oh Goo Tak (Kim Sang Joong) assembles our team of cops and criminals. He’s an intense man who is fierce and known for using excessive force. Kim Sang Joong is an incredibly talented actor who easily pulled me into the mind of this complex and tortured character.

Park Woong Chul (Ma Dong Suk) is our gangster. He’s the type to rush into any situation and is very loyal. Ma Dong Suk played this character perfectly with a nice balance of humor and toughness.

Lee Jung Moon (Park Hae Jin) plays a very intelligent serial killer. He’s quiet and calculating with a blank stare that will give you chills. Park Hae Jin nailed this role by making Jung Moon both scary yet sympathetic.

Jung Tae Soo (Jo Dong Hyuk) is a long time contract killer who is one of the best at what he does. But he struggles with guilt because of the hurt he has caused others. Jo Dong Hyuk was so intense in this role by presenting a very layered character whose story was very interesting.

Yoo Mi Young (Kang Ye Won) is our moral and upright detective. She’s weary of working with a team of criminals from the start. She also has to try to keep the unpredictable Detective Oh in check. And that is not an easy job!

I did want to draw attention to the amazing film quality in the drama. The detail of each shot is amazing with a sharpness and realism that is stunning. The cinematography was fantastic with many shots feeling like a work of art in the way they were assembled.

The drama was bit episodic in the first half, but the cases were very engaging, and those episodes really worked to set up all of our characters. A larger mystery is also put in place that really ramps up in the second half of the drama.

Bad Guys did very well at not being too predictable which provided a pretty exciting ride overall. There were a several times I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen. We also get some truly moving performances from all of the men in the drama. Even the most hardened of criminals have a story to tell, and sometimes they can be heartbreaking.

While crimes dramas aren’t my preferred genre, and this was a little dark for my tastes, it really is an excellent series. It had plenty to like and is full of intensity that only gets better as the drama progresses. If you’re a fan of crime dramas, I would definitely recommend Bad Guys.

14 Responses to Bad Guys Korean Drama Review

Just quickly looked it up on Viki if it is available for watching here (you never quite know with my region lol), but it is. Already thought this was an interesting show this one (as you told me about it already), but after reading this review I am looking forward to it even more. I love dark shows more than anything, so will defitely watch it sometime soon. Great post! 😀

I understand. One of my least favorite things is any sort of case of the week scenario whether it be crime, doctors, or lawyers. Luckily, this one did pretty well. Since it is very character driven, it makes those first episodes more meaningful despite being more episodic. It’s necessary to really get to know everyone and their dynamic with each other. The backstory is still there though and then it becomes more prominent as the drama progresses. Plus, it’s only 11 episodes, so I found it a pretty quick watch 🙂

Well you’re in luck then! OCN is supposed to have a season 2 in the works for later this year. No word yet if any of the same cast will be returning, but the same writer and director are on board. So it’s something to look forward to 🙂